The present invention relates to an inflatable side curtain air bag module assembly designed to provide occupant protection to vehicle passengers during a side impact (crash or collision) or rollover event. More particularly, the module is mounted proximate the vehicle roof rail and concealed by the headliner trim. Upon impact, the curtain (or air bag) deploys between the occupant and intruding object to protect the outboard front and rear occupants. The present invention defines one or more inflatable chambers within the air bag and insures that the front and the rear panels of the air bag that form these chambers remain spaced apart to provide added protection for the occupant while keeping the chamber volume at an acceptable level.
In order to control the inflated shape and volume of an air bag it has been proposed to directly sew the front and rear panels together. This type of construction also defines various chambers in the air bag (in which certain portions of the front and rear panels are spaced apart) but this construction also places other portions of the panels in direct contact, particularly at the separator sew lines. This reduced spacing reduces the xe2x80x9ccushioned depthxe2x80x9d between the occupant and a side of the vehicle. This is not the case with the present invention.
Accordingly the invention comprises: a side impact or rollover protection restraint system comprising: an air bag of sufficient length to extend from a first pillar to at least a second pillar of the vehicle, the air bag, upon inflation, is of sufficient height to extend from proximate a roof rail of the vehicle to a location generally adjacent the shoulder of a 50th percentile sized seated occupant such that the inflated air bag will lie between the occupant and a side portion of the vehicle. The air bag includes a first and a second panel of material that are joined together to create at least one inflatable volume and a plurality of internal tether or separator means for forming corresponding bridges between predetermined regions of each of the first and second panel such that upon inflation of the air bag these regions are spaced from one another by an associated particular internal tether (separator panel).
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag or inflatable curtain to protect one or more vehicle occupants in a side impact and/or rollover crash event.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.